70 replies to this topic

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Just went through your trip blog.

Lots of great places and a lot we were at just a year ago.So it has brought back a lot of fond memories.

Thanks for taking the time to do your blog.

Frank

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Rob I kept coming back to the Idaho/Montana part of the trip.

Several photos looked like places we stopped and sure enough the Fish Trap CG was a stop for us back in 2009 and again in 2010.

Also the road along the Salmon River west had some familiar sites.

Thanks for taking the time.

Frank

[longhorn1]

Rob,  I read them all.  What a great trip and the blog was a fun read.  Amazing pictures.  A trip of a lifetime for sure.  jd

[buckland]

Rob I kept coming back to the Idaho/Montana part of the trip.

Several photos looked like places we stopped and sure enough the Fish Trap CG was a stop for us back in 2009 and again in 2010.

Also the road along the Salmon River west had some familiar sites.

Thanks for taking the time.

Frank

 

Frank that was the icing on the cake! I had concentrated on the AK-YK part and was playing it by ear on the lower 48. I had a great time fishing and wandering the west on the kind of roads that surprise one each day with something impressive. I only wish I had had more time to give to explore but know I will be back. It is good trouble feeling like there are too many places to see in a lifetime. Thanks again for your input on making the trip come together. It was a doozy.

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Rob I have been to Alaska 5 times over 28 years and have had a different adventure each time and a great time.

I would go again but there is also so much to see right here closer to home.

Our western states offer so much and are closer.

Oh I enjoyed the part of your story about Resurrection Cafe,we found it the first night in Seward and enjoyed the coffee and goodies.

Your nephew did a nice job of the place and it's great to see places like that saved and re purposed.

Glad your trip was one to remember and thanks for sharing it.

Today is a year since we "landed" in Whittier to start our adventure.

Frank

[buckland]

Frank that is funny... I have that sticker on the back of the camper door along with a few others. You can see the soap stone massive Scandinavian super high efficiency stove...a massive heat sink... he had added to the church.now cafe..for the 100th year anniversary.

Great for those long dark winters.

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[buckland]

Hope this fits!.... a cut and paste... If I didn't write this out while it was fresh I'd probably let it roll... so hope this helps with anyones planning:

 

It has come and gone. The year planning and preparing, thinking of every conceivable necessity and packing it all into the space you are going to need to live in. My truck has a crew cab and the seats were removed giving probably too much space and so over packed. Weight really is the enemy. We used see through large cargo boxes from Walmart to pack camping gear, tools, truck repair parts, boots/shoes, books, fishing gear, and a big box of food (way too much). the books were too heavy to drag the whole trip, We had too many boots/shoes. Tools too were over the top. All said I could easily take 300 pounds out of the truck. But hind sight is 20/20. Next trip. I will not skimp on things like a 3 ton jack/stand combo nor the compressor and tire repair kit and tire gauge nor sand mats for getting out of holes. It is about 150 pounds for that stuff and it is all essential. 

 

Food was crazy. I now will only bring 3 emergency meals and buy food as we go. Snack box is a keeper. A 2x2” GPS unit is also indispensable. I downloaded all the maps into the iPad and we were always aware where we were. It plots time and distance elevation and speed. But never just go with that. A paper/book map atlas is also top priority. (and a hi-liter). Windex and paper towel for everyday windshield cleaning. A bucket to get stream water to throw on the back of the camper to remove mud to use the door. The Brophy folding rear steps were incredibly handy over a 2 month trip. We sold the Engel 49 top load fridge and I installed the Isotherm 65 Cruise refrigerator. Also wonderful access to food and cold beer with a now clear counter top.

 

One thing, while on the kitchen space, we decided I would remove the counter top and move the propane stove to the rear by the corner fridge, turned 90º (it is under the bed in the morning so the early riser can’t make coffee! In all honesty we never use the sink. We use the water pump all the time. a small washing up tupperware works more easily and can be dealt with as one would the grey water bucket. So I will not include the sink on the new counter top and instead use the space for storage. I will probably remove the top water pump spout for a marine foot pump to a simple collapsable spout on the counter. The 160 watt solar panel worked perfectly. In fact it had us at 100% every day. We put 2 quart bottles of water (frozen solid  the night before) in the fridge and turned it to #3. The camper was on the ferry for 5 nights without sunlight for the panel and the 2 quarts never melted!. A great way to stretch the battery usage. After getting off the ferry the volt meter read 12.3. (btw I have 2 camper batteries) I had carried the portable 90 watt panel in the cab over box and never once used it…so that is also on the remove list. Instead I will convert the box to an aluminum tray too store the sand mats. I had strapped them on the back but they were in the way of the propane door. 

 

A collapsable umbrella is smart in the camper by the door. I installed a tight weave brown wall to wall carpet a few years back but one needs an additional thick ribbed mud mat just inside the door. When carrying extra fuel on the roof I did use the speaker stand crank to help on the lift…why not? (though I could lift it w/o). I carry and used a box of lego leveling blocks and they were fast and very handy to have when one arrives tired and it is raining. As others have found the water drain valve at the back of the camper is cheap in that it breaks relatively easily. I have replaced it once and have a spare but I don’t want to deal with it anymore so I followed the install thread on WTW for the metal replacement set up and have ordered the valve …the flange is on hold due to seller vacation! Also on a WTW BBQ grill thread a couple years ago I settled on the collapsable Fox Hibatchi stainless grill. comes in a case, and stores well. We had large ziplock bags full of briquets stored in the wheel wells. Grilling is the best way to cook…especially when there is a fire ban on as there was in Idaho, Montana and Canada.

 

I had set up a CB antennae mast and cable to a hand held. I think the short whip antennae would have been sufficient so off comes the antennae. The CB also has a weather radio which comes in handy. Two canisters of bear spray, a marine ship air horn and a couple ‘rope pull’ ignited flares (what is used by AK science researchers in the field), actually employed a few times by my nephew when caught between a grizzly mom and her cubs… worked so far anyway. While we were there a boar charged a fishing party… it went right through the first two guys who had 30-30’s on their shoulder straps…no time to respond…the bear kept coming apparently intent on a small child at the end of the line of 4 people. The 11 year old son whose father hadn’t gotten around to installing the strap was able to get 2 shots off and dropped it… the men recovering then came to finish. They are big. I avoid all chances of encounter like that… 

 

The diesel truck did wonderfully especially being a small-midsize truck as it has tons of power with 369 foot pounds of torque… no matter what it could pass on a hill or wherever, like I had no camper there behind. The mileage was good but I had hopes for better…the prairie winds were a real drag. Overall 20 mpg for 12,171 miles of which 2000 on dirt roads crawling up and down rocks etc… 3000 or so on 45-60 mph and the rest on the slab at 70 mph. Diesel was at times cheaper but normally 10 cents more. I had to pay for there diesel DEF a couple times when I had wished I had brought some from Walmart rather than at the station a triple the cost. Most big truck stations have them at the big rig pumps at a far cheaper rate. The truck is so much more comfortable than my old 2001 Tacoma but that is not a fair comparison due to the age. Next thing is to make a divider for the cargo boxes in the back seat platform as we will hopefully get the other side for a new dog (hopefully soon). 

 

The suspension: After the test of fire… I can say without a doubt that the add-a-leaf was a bad idea. It did not fit well, was clunky/squeaky and combined with Air Lifts (IMHO nowhere as good as Firestone) did not do well. On some extreme roads, crazy holes and boulders and bottoming out (I do not drive fast).. the top metal circular piece on both sides snapped and punctuated the bags…. no cure for that in the boonies. I went to Boise Spring Works and had them take off the add-a-leaf and install their spring packs that they do a number of for the Jackson Hole FWC. A Lot of Tacoma’s as well as a few Colorados done with good reviews. We drove home across the US with a new sense of ride comfort. The air bags are not needed. As I was waiting for the work to be done Rus, the ’new’ owner who has worked there for a long time and bought the CO. a few years back (in business for over 100 years) showed me a new FWC Fleet model in the back…a demo for potential Jackson Hole buyers. I went in and I must say the new set up is right on the money. The dinette setup in the front and the cabinets were well thought out. If I was a wealthy man I would move up to it. It would also allow us (being not tall in stature) to sleep side to side. Very nice. (Though I still count my lucky stars I have my Eagle).

 

The E rated Cooper At3 tires also get good grades. I had C rated on the Tacoma but after what I drove over have no doubt E rated is the way to go. For my truck/camper weight I kept them mostly at cold 50 front and 60 rear. They did heat up 3-5 degrees depending. That reminds me. The Chevy trucks have a rake. Worse yet the wind cowling in the front is plain silly unless the truck is a commuter vehicle. The front is too low. I removed the cowling (anyone want to buy?) and installed Bilstein RHA shocks that raised the front 2” (not blocks) as well as took off the plastic skid plat and put on a heavy duty aluminum one on. The stance is level and high as a Tacoma which makes sense with a FWC on back roads. 

 

Off the cuff thought also is the two 10 pound propane tanks … we in the summer don’t need the heater even in the low forties in the AM once the coffee is on things warm up. So, I bumped into a FWC in Valdez, a nice couple from Asheville NC who I wish I got their full names. They had one of the tanks removed and a boot box installed…great use of the space and losing the weight (that’s a lot of beer). Ten pounds of propane goes a long way cooking. If anyone has a good source of a flush mount stove top let me know. 

 

Ah yes …how could I forget. This is also a good thread on WTW… camp chairs. If you are near my age you have tried a number of them. Most have their good points but I settled the debate awhile ago and this trip had me smiling when I thought of all the old department store chairs that either broke, tip over easily, are too heavy or even worse cumbersome to store I have bought, inherited or found (I bet they weren’t lost). I have mentioned this on my contribution to that thread that I found a chair that not only gets “A’s” in all of the above categories but also, being a furniture maker by trade, have a design that is perfect. Form and function. A modern day Shaker design or perhaps a German machinist. They are made from Red Oak and Aircraft grade aluminum stock covered with good canvas. Made in Tennessee by a family for the last 35 years. Kermit Chairs. They pack into a pouch 5” diameter by 24” long. They look beautiful and are comfortable. Mine is 30 years old and my wife 25… they look like new. We leave them ‘assembled’ and they lay flat (not circular) so camper packing up in the AM is fast they just lay on the seat cushions. 

 

If I remember more I will add onto this part but for now it is the trip I want to mention, the route with the good the bad and the ugly. 

 

If you followed the blog (god bless ya) you have a good idea where and how we went. On a wing and a prayer. I have to mention that I owe the success of this trip to the folks from WTW/FWC who helped without reservation to offer routes, assistance, and wonderful ideas of what is worth doing and what to avoid. What an incredible resource the site is. I could no more have gotten my camper to where it is nor traveled where I have without the community that thinks likewise: Share and enjoy the quiet places. 

 

Now I know what others have offered in advice about the planning and then the letting go once on the road. On the fly ideas and information comes your way and you can count on it. So many of the routes happened at the last minute from a conversation with a ranger or fly shop owner, gas station guy, a bar maid or whatever… plan but be open. I’d say that about 2/3 of the trip was where and when I thought it was going to be… the rest just happened. The camping on the long haul was tricky in that one does not really know where one will end up on a long day due to all the uncertainties of travel on the roads. having a radius of 100 miles is acceptable but I found that got expanded soon enough. Even though I had my first night planned (at 660 miles) the following were actually a combination of luck from planning a number of possibles. It is not my virgo nature to completely wing it. I need a back up plan to sleep well. In the end it worked out great for the first four nights and the fifth was dodgy but eventually happened in a safe place. 

 

Once on the ‘left’ side of the country It was nice to have such many more options. I stayed outside Seattle at a National park as a geezer for 2 nights for $15. and it was pleasant. The reunion with my wife and then the camper on the ferry out of Bellingham bound for Whittier was a gas. We went for the ‘cabinette’ and that it was… 2 bunks and no other space …but that was fine…the boat only had 150 people that could hold 500. Lots of roaming around and watching the world go by for 5 nights. 

 

Arriving into Whittier Luann’s camper experience started…she tore everything apart and reorganized it her way… just stand back. We camped on a glacier stream and met a couple of local AK’ers who were out for the weekend. A good sit around their fire and then the next day to Seward where my nephew has changed captainships from a science research vessel (too along away) to a Kenai Peninsula National Parks boats to see the incredible place it is. He treated us to the trip and we stayed at his partner’s Resurrect Art Cafe where they both live and she runs. We were there for the insane race up and down Mount Marathon… in under an 

hour… nuts. After a few days of hikes and great coffee we went on to Homer where my nephew has a log cabin built in the 1930’s up on the shelf or plate above Homer. A few days there where we bought the best smoked fish (Halibut and Salmon) I have ever eaten.

 

This is all the bits that are in the blog so will not go back over them but this first part of the trip was cushy and not putting the rig to any challenge. That all changed going to the rest of the trip in Alaska.

 

We left Alaska by the top of the world highway and on through Dawson City and into the Yukon. We kept a calendar where we wrote where we ended up each night…easier to reference that then try to chronicle it in your head…traveling events tend to blend after awhile.  It was only at the end of the trip did I realize my mistake. All I had to do was hit a button on the most used map program (off line) used by the GPS called MAPS Me… it was the best I found as it has a search feature for 50 categories food to fuel etc. Just making a tag or bench mark location I could access it at any time for the exact location of our great boondocks camping sites. (I put one such in the blog photos as an example … outside Boise). Galileo is also good but imo not as good as the MAP ME. When in the States or Canada, ‘AllStays’ is an incredibly valuable resource for finding a place where you end up. Not always reliable as things change but it came through in a few clinch moments after a big detour and it was late. 

 

We turned our smart phones to ‘Airplane mode’ traveling through Canada for one main reason. Whether you have Verizon or AT&T determines what towers will accept you on your phones there but….. for $20 a month we got a deal through On-star (which we do not belong to) for some reason they offer unlimited data in your vehicle’s wifi spot. So we could text and email as well in emergencies (of which we had none) using a calling app like Skype or WePhone etc. It worked great… no roaming. 

 

If this trip report is ‘all over the place’ it is because I have things on a list I wanted to remember and that is how this is flowing. The toilet. Initially I had an old (new in the box) marine porte-potty that would have worked fine. I was concerned with the added 24 pounds of weight of the water as well as the need to dump it when there was no place to so so properly…that and a concern that there could be leaks with all the washboard and pot holes on the back roads. I am sure it would have worked out but I decided to get a folding seat set-up that used a wag bag in such a way that diverts the liquids from the solids. Urine can be dealt with with a ratio of 50 to 1 w/o a real concern … easy  if you have water nearby and/or storing it in a screw top safe container until later. We carried the wag bags on the outside of the camper. What was nice is that when you are in the middle of nowhere this folding seat set up can be put outside and make everyone happy. Fresh air! The unit is lightweight, strong and collapsable. In the end (no pun intended) we used it a few dozen times when we were in boondocks sites without a pit toilet. Its a keeper. 

 

For this trip, (not desert) 20 gallons water is too much to carry. Our drinking and cooking water could be done in 2 1/2 gallon suitcases. The solar shower…man that is also a keeper… we filled from streams or lakes. It is such a good thing and packs down to small. I used an old broom stick, carbines and rope to hang it high (trees help) but I have made a 2 piece, 1/4” aluminum 1” stock foldable hanger that wing nuts to the jack stand so the solar shower is high enough and easy to hang. This will come in handy in Baja!

 

All I can say is it was “a trip of a lifetime”… at least traveling from New England that far doubles the milage. It was worth it. If anyone wants an area specific boondocks camping spot be sure to PM me and I will look at the list. 

[Josh41]

Rob, 

It looks like you two had an amazing time.  Thanks for taking the time to write it up and post pics.  If you are around the eastern side of the state, let me know, I would love to get together and check out your rig and show off mine.  We make it your way once in a while as well.

Josh

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Rob thanks for the rundown as to what worked and not.

Frank

[smlobx]

Thank you for the report!
I can only imagine all the thoughts rumbling around in your head.
I'm going to look into MAP ME as it sounds like it might work for us as well.